Soru

Zorluk: ZorInequalities, Absolute Values, and Number Ranges in Data Sufficiency

If kk is a real number, is k24<3k|k^2 - 4| < 3k?

(1) k25k+4<0k^2 - 5k + 4 < 0
(2) k1<2|k - 1| < 2

Which statement(s) provide sufficient information to determine whether the inequality holds?

  1. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.Cevap
  2. B
    Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient.
  3. C
    BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient.
  4. D
    EACH statement ALONE is sufficient.
  5. E
    Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient.

Cevap

Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient.
The stem inequality k24<3k|k^2 - 4| < 3k simplifies to 1<k<41 < k < 4. Statement (1) directly yields 1<k<41 < k < 4, providing a definitive Yes answer. Statement (2) yields 1<k<3-1 < k < 3, which includes values inside (1,4)(1, 4) such as k=2k = 2 (Yes) and values outside (1,4)(1, 4) such as k=0.5k = 0.5 (No), making Statement (2) insufficient.

Adım Adım Çözüm

1
Rephrase the target question stem algebraically.
The target inequality k24<3k|k^2 - 4| < 3k requires 3k>03k > 0 (so k>0k > 0) and translates to 3k<k24<3k-3k < k^2 - 4 < 3k. Solving k24<3kk^2 - 4 < 3k yields (k4)(k+1)<0    1<k<4(k - 4)(k + 1) < 0 \implies -1 < k < 4. Solving 3k<k24-3k < k^2 - 4 for k>0k > 0 yields k2+3k4>0    (k+4)(k1)>0    k>1k^2 + 3k - 4 > 0 \implies (k + 4)(k - 1) > 0 \implies k > 1. Combining these gives the rephrased question: 'Is 1<k<41 < k < 4?'
Simplifying the question stem before evaluating the statements prevents misinterpretation of absolute value boundary conditions.
2
Evaluate Statement (1): k25k+4<0k^2 - 5k + 4 < 0.
Factoring the quadratic gives (k1)(k4)<0(k - 1)(k - 4) < 0, which means 1<k<41 < k < 4.
Since Statement (1) guarantees that kk lies strictly between 11 and 44, the answer to the rephrased question is a definitive Yes. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient.
3
Evaluate Statement (2): k1<2|k - 1| < 2.
Removing the absolute value gives 2<k1<2-2 < k - 1 < 2, or 1<k<3-1 < k < 3.
If k=2k = 2, then 1<2<41 < 2 < 4, giving a Yes answer. If k=0.5k = 0.5, then 0.50.5 is in (1,3)(-1, 3) but not in (1,4)(1, 4), giving a No answer (since 0.524=3.75>3(0.5)=1.5|0.5^2 - 4| = 3.75 > 3(0.5) = 1.5). Because Statement (2) allows both Yes and No outcomes, it is NOT sufficient.

Anahtar Kavram

Absolute Value Inequalities and Question Stem Rephrasing

Alternatif Yöntem

Instead of solving the quadratic inequality 3k<k24<3k-3k < k^2 - 4 < 3k algebraically, test the boundary points k=1k = 1 and k=4k = 4 in k24=3k|k^2 - 4| = 3k: at k=1k = 1, 14=3=3(1)|1 - 4| = 3 = 3(1); at k=4k = 4, 164=12=3(4)|16 - 4| = 12 = 3(4). Since 3k3k grows linearly while k24k^2 - 4 grows quadratically, the inequality holds strictly between these two positive roots 1<k<41 < k < 4.
Tahmini Süre:2m 0s
Bu soruyu puanla